--------------------------------------------------------- [h2]Planet Beau- Starport Gunstran.[/h2] --------------------------------------------------------- The debate over how to retaliate against the raid proved intense. The lives lost, the senator lost. The peacekeepers that arrived, arrived too late. Vuttiger and his local forces managed to ward them off from doing further damage and so took control of the local garrison. The Starport had a garrison that was a bit small but had a nice window to where all the docked ships are. The ships that landed were mostly smaller ships, as the larger ships would not be able to handle the gravity of Beau. Those ships stayed in orbit instead. Vuttiger arrived to the bunker to meet with the local Garrison Leader. Issue was, other branches of Beau's bureaucracy already were in motion... "The acting senator is here to see you." one of the officers told Vuttiger, who almost felt frustrated at how fast they managed to get an acting senator. This acting senator is a total shrimp, they look more like one of the bureaucrats in the archives than a proper imperial senator. A total pencil pusher. [i]Very unqualified choice[/i], Vuttiger thought with disdain. The other peace keepers however seem to like this guy, for some reason Vuttiger could only contemplate with a scowl. "Hello, I'm just filling in until the Emperor finds a proper replacement so you know, just hang in there." The acting senator awkwardly told the Sector Commander Vuttiger. The acting senator didn't like this... Vuttiger character much. It proved too hard to know what goes on behind those aviators Vuttiger liked wearing for them. Vuttiger just shrugged off the senator and asks the local Garrison Captain, "Why is this acting senator at the garrison?" The confused Garrison Leader just paused a bit before saying, "This acting senator is working with us on the retaliation." The acting senator than proceeded to explain to Vuttiger, "We have reports from sister worlds that show that this raid was not all that happened. Katrin's forces are known to be occupying Othea, the agrarian planet of Soot and the Curtis system also has a signal of another attack. We are not sure if these are seperate forces or if they are working with Katrin in a grand conspiracy against the Dominion. It is however likely to be the solar crusaders that terrorize northern sectors I knew had been brought up at the senate by proxy. However without more information we cannot determine if this is the case. It seems unlikely they would make it this far to me but you never know with the kind of psychopaths willing to go against the Dominion." "What a shame, Acting senator. I've heard theories there are aliens working with Katrin on the exonet, would have been nice to see if any were true for once." Vuttiger replied, frustrated to hear how far reaching these attacks have so quickly become. "I have a name..." the acting senator replied, a bit annoyed with the freakish peacekeeper. "No one cares, acting senator. You have said everything we needed to hear, the meeting is over." Vuttiger told the acting senator. The acting senator just deflates out of shame after that and left the garrison to deal with administrative matters. "Sector Captain Vuttiger, with that news aside we have been waiting for your orders to know what to do." the lesser Garrison Leader explains. Vuttiger starts to grin a bit as he contorted to a rigid stance. "You want to know the plan, Darrel?" Vuttiger asked again. The Garrison Captain, a bit shaken by how Vuttiger addressed him by his actual name stutters a bit before replying "Yes... sir." "Lighten up, Darrel, what I'm about to tell you won't disappoint. I had worked with some of the navigators at the local space port and realized with the fleet at Beau and local ship militias we can impress into the greater war effort in exchange for some tax write offs we have enough to pull off a historic retaliation." Vuttiger told the Garrison Leader. The Garrison Leader was a bit put off by that and replied, "You mean using..." "Yes." Vuttiger replied before he elaborated, "We have to use the full extent of our forces, Darrel. What has happened at this place must be repaid with the strongest hand we can, the Emperor will expect nothing less from us." The Garrison Leader just nodded before he asked, "And what would you expect our forces to do, Commander?" "We have been contemplating that question with intent. We want to make it so Katrin and her gang of warlords knows what real suffering is. They play space knights, it is cute and all but it is ruinous to any hope of our galactic humanity to have petty warlordism replace organized civilization. We will have to introduce something these myopic cretins something they should have known the whole time- the consequences of treason. We will strike the world of Othea with full force." The talk of destruction was a bit much for the Garrison leader, who like some others in the sector tried to talk Vuttiger down from this position. He had fear in his eyes doing so but questioned it anyways. "Do we even have the capacity to? That world is not in the Beau sector, it is outside our jurisdiction. Othea is a major city center and to raze that would be too costly on our end should we retake it." he objected. Vuttiger paused a bit. The grin on his face vanished before he explained, "The local senator will understand, assuming the ISC hasn't already murdered them like they had Maria Orange. They strike for the heads because they know people like you play by these rules that would be nice in a world where people played by the rules. We do not exist in that world and Othea is compromised as is just by letting themselves fall to those marauders." The kind of scorched earth warfare Vuttiger proposed unnerved the Garrison leader who objected by telling the Sector Commander, "Commander, as much as it pains me to say these warlords did no such tactics to us so would that not put us beneath them to act out the kind of actions that should be reserved for aliens? I was raised and educated on the belief in the human fraternity and yet here you want to treat other people like ants to burn. Othea has billions of loyal Dominion citizens, we use orbital bombardment on that world and it would risk more warlords cropping up from more defections." Vuttiger held back his anger just hearing this insolent subordinate. He wanted to shoot the Garrison Leader on the spot. So instead Vuttiger opted to try a different approach. Vuttiger told the Garrison Leader, "It's not enough. The high values of our human fraternity cannot be maintained without proper enforcement against those who would so break with it. It is in human nature to need a display of force to know who is in charge and these warlords have forgotten who was in charge. That is why the ISC are rebelling in the first place. Being nice on the belief it would stop further rebellion has already failed as far as I can tell. As is these warlords have time and time again shown that they are more powerful than space pirates. It is obvious from anyone with half a brain that what we are fighting are rebels who festered about for too long with their own societies and deviant cultures. They even built their own military while people like that acting senator slept at the wheel. This must be taken seriously, Darrel. Or the whole Dominion will be ashes. Historical precedent shows this. From ancient conflicts like the Great World War of the 20th century to the Unification itself with the final downfall of Italy. It is the most effective option of the narrow slate of options we have. I wish it weren't so, but the history shows otherwise. We will strike Othea primarily but we also will send supporting forces to Soot and Curtis. The local peacekeepers we have sent messages to about these arrivals to the loyal forces of those systems, so they better make it." Darrel let himself silenced by that, if only because he knew another word would likely get him far harsher penalties than the citations already about to head his way. Meanwhile outside the ships at the Starport Gunstran begun their ascent. A large fleet of peacekeepers it was, with ships ranging from fighter carriers loaded with local prisoners promised their freedom to even ships that used tech inherited from the inner dominion guardian fleet. Vuttiger looked out the window of the garrison at the sunny sky filled with the metallic dominion ships and their blocky designs. Many inscribed with the insignia of earth into their hulls. The ships ascended with a thunderous symphony, going further into the sky as additional streaks of light converged with them. Vuttiger motioned to the garrison leader and said, "They tried to break our dawn. And as you will see, they like so many marauders and warlords before them will falter." And with that, the retaliation began. --------------------------------------------------------- [h2]Sector Vitrium- The Grand Conduit[/h2] --------------------------------------------------------- Mac Reed, distraught from his time at the senate decided he needed a break. So he chose to try to calm his nerves by going to the Grand Conduit, the jewel of Vitrium. A place of vast splendor and commerce, with vast spires and an atrium draped in Dominion regalia. Due to the crowds, Mac Reed had entered the center with seven body guards in exosuits that kept the rest of the crowd in the place away from him. These exosuits were more 'rustic' by Dominion standards, but they did the job. The guards pushed the rabble away from Mac Reed as he headed to where he wanted to go- a theater that he was informed would be where he would get the answers to the "assassin problem" that he believed was plaguing him. He just knows that he was told there was someone who believed his rambling at the senate. He didn't trust it but he had little better to do and he wanted to calm his nerves by drinking the only beverage worth drinking anymore- Glistenfloat. The sour, iridescent alcoholic beverage was on full display at an open bar facing some a theater of sorts. That theater Mac Reed looked at for a bit and found what he saw just plain disgusting. It was a prisoner show. Mac Reed found those nauseating, absolutely nauseating but local interests kept him from being able to outlaw them. And with an Emperor that watchers aliens murder each other on TV screens... good luck. Just the odious sight of that prisoner without his shirt being forced to dance for the crowd as hideous bug-like machines were latched onto his limbs with trails of flayed skin just was too much. The blood, the screams, the desperation. It was just all too much for Mac, it just was not the imagery he had wanted to see just than and there. Mac Reed averted his eyes even as one of his bodyguards was clearly enjoying the sight, even laughing in amusement with the crowd at the public torture going on. Mac Reed was quick to head into the local bar to get some Glistenfloat. The service android with its nozzle and prefabricated cups poured the intoxicating rainbow liquor. Mac Reed quickly grabbed the beverage with his spindly arm but hesitated to chug it, unsure if it was spiked of not. One of the exosuit guards looked at the drink and asked Mac, "Is a scan needed?" Mac Reed meekly nodded and the guard took the drink from his hand and after staring at it for a bit with a soft digital humming noise buzzing about, told the senator "no weird shit is in this drink." "Thank fuck!" Mac Reed yelled before he ripped the cup from the bodyguard's hand and chugged it, perhaps a bit too fast as he groaned quite load after drinking it. It was at that point Mac Reed ordered a several more Glistenfloats before the server blocked him from ordering past the safe limit. He quickly chugged them all as the bodyguards just stood around there. One of the bodyguards than mentions to Mac Reed, "Should we go?" Mac Reed, intoxicated by all the Glistenfloat proceeds to tell the bodyguard, "No need, let's see if they're doing something less fucked up at the theater instead." "Isn't that where we were supposed to be?" the Bodyguard asked. Mac Reed at that point jolted up from his seat, the bony body hidden by the fancy senatorial suit rattling as he did so as he shouted "Oh shit! We were here for that contact! We have to get back outside." The bodyguards looked around, but see the other people in the bar had gotten caught up in a fight where rainbow fluids were getting spewed about. The floor boards, multiple people and tables, even a couple bots just had colorful bile dripping off of them. Mac Reed was quick to get out of the bar after that odious sight. And than the theater, to Mac's relief had something not public torture. Instead it was a play with some xeno involved. Mac Reed had no clue what kinda xenos but they were clearly xenos. The stage players were reenacting something. "It is I, baby eater Kibby Muck. I want to grind babies into my stew." A rather unenthusiastic bipedal alien with a shock collar on them said as they dropped prop dolls into some pot that made fake sizzles. The alien than made some weird screech that sounded kinda like laughter but it clearly could not vocate laughter the way humans could, if it even had the concept of laughter. At that point, a peacekeeper came onto the stage and proceeded to shoot the alien with live ammunition. The alien screeched again as it clearly was not killed by the first volley. It proceeded to its best ability shout expletives about how it was promised the peacekeeper wouldn't use actual bullets on them. The crowd cheered wildly. At that point, a disclaimer was projected stating that "The xeno that carried out the atrocity you have witnessed have been extinct for centuries. The xeno we had brought here was not the same species-" Booing was than heard with a very audible 'who gives a shit!' coming from the crowd. Or something on those lines, for Mac Reed had already tuned much of that out as he felt something touch him. The whole world than suddenly paused and he found himself face to face with an unknown figure. --------------------------------------------- [b]In frozen time[/b] This xeno being was had been just casually watching the savagery at play, amused by the sight. Mac Reed couldn't believe this... thing was here the whole time. "I often do speculate what your society would do if they knew what was going on in the galaxy at large. But why waste the time on that?" the bizarre figure remarked rhetorically with one of its tendrils. Without warning, Mac Reed found himself just stuck with the figure in a place where his body guards were seemingly frozen still. Everyone around him and the figure also appeared almost statue-like. Tiny bits of sound at times seeped through, but it was all too ambient and stretched out to matter. "Oh fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Mac Reed repeatedly started to shout in shock as he began to vomit rainbowy fluids and hyper ventilate. He stumbled over himself as the figure reached out to him with... some scaly hand. Mac Reed despite kneeling on the ground flinched at the sight of it. The distraught and panicked senator just stuttered with vomit in his threat, "wh-at are you..." Mac Reed looked up at the figure. It had thick legs, like some land animal. Yet it was all mostly featureless, the silvery, shifting suit having no discernible features. The xeno did however look strangely organic, as if there was musculature and something flowing about its dermis. There was a head that had eyes with a bill-like form and neck that led back to the main body. The body was peculiar, with a conic hump that had wrapped around it snake-like tendrils. The xeno was topped with another set of white, glowing bits that Mac Reed figured were eyes. Mac Reed than noticed the wrists of the tendrils, which he realized to be arms with hand-like mandibles which also had eyes. Mac Reed just didn't know what to make of the thing. The figure, with its synthetic but calm voice replied "Your initial shock is natural, most unaware of our existence react in some way at first." "What the fuck are you?" Mac Reed reiterated, with a dry voice still recovering from the initial panic but unable to muster the strength to run, if that was even an option. "I am a Dealer. My name as best as our translators can mimic for your language is Jiyus Vusados. You came here at my will and it is in your interest to know the deal I have for you." Mac Reed, realized than that this 'dealer' thing to be a xeno infiltrator and shouted at it near incoherently "A xeno spy! Kill it!" Mac Reed than just fell back on his ass. "That does not work." The figure replied, "This temporal field has made the local time whatever I will it to be. If you were any actual threat you would have been dead hours ago. That much alone should be proof of my intent." "What the hell would you want with me?" Mac Reed than slurs, just not sure if he's even seeing something real as he almost tries reaching out to touch the figure, of whom felt very real. Than with one of the serpentine arms it had, the Dealer Jiyus pushed him a bit away before responding, "Not much. All I wanted to tell you is that everything you believe is completely factual and your current protections are not enough to protect you from those threats. To help with that, there is a chip that you need to have. Do with it as you want, its fate is not our concern." One of its arms twisted itself to Reed and presented a strange cylindrical chip. The wrist eyes discomforted the hell out of Reed as it did so. "Wait... What's on the chip? What's the catch?" Mac Reed asked it, just confused at this point by the whole situation. The Dealer replied, "There is no catch. The chip has all the damning information you need to validate to everyone else the truth you know. There is nothing else we expect of you but to have this information. In return you will get the respect you deserve. That is the deal." Mac Reed didn't trust the xeno one bit, but Reed just nodded along. With a seemingly sudden shift towards happiness, Reed said to the Xeno, "I don't trust this one bit but what do I have to lose?" The Dealer than just vanished and Mac Reed found the body guards looking with disgust at the vomit on his senatorial suit. "What the hell was that?" one of the guards wondered. "Maybe we just missed him soiling himself." the other replied to Mac's annoyance. Little did those guards know how fortunes were about to change for bony, bony Reed... And with that Mac Reed left The Conduit, with something he believes will change everything. It is the first bit of hope in a long time for Reed. ------------------------ [h3]At Deneb IV - The Arena itself[/h3] ------------------------ Aunalak was in its usual meditative state. It was the best state to be in, when having to shed so much life from these fellow victims of the Dominion. Yet existence was fragile for it, as it realized from how many little ones it had to skewer. Aunalak had long desensitized itself to all the mindless screams around it, but it knew they grew louder. Still the flow was what it was, the slight resistance of the enemy carapace, the flesh and bone, the amorphous membranes, all at the end of the cycle but material once animated. Just like itself. At times, it wondered how come it got as efficient at this culling of the physical form. Was it its own upbringing, having only known this existence? Was it the records infecting it with the past knowledge of its own kind? Aunalak couldn't tell and often wishes it had remained oblivious to its own kind's tragic past. It would have led to less moping about and more massacre for the sake of it. After the amount of times it has repeated the slaughter it has become dull. Once it recalls feeling actual desire with the act, but it has become mundane. But it knows deep down that the time of stagnation is nearing its end. It just had to persist against the grind and eventually it would be free.